25 Dead After Foreign-Flagged Cargo Ship Catches Fire in Eastern China

Twenty-five people have been killed after a foreign-flagged cargo ship docked at a Chinese port for repairs caught fire, according to state media outlets.

There were 42 people on board when the blaze broke out at around 11:15 a.m. local time on Sept. 10, Xinhua reported. Twelve people were evacuated safely, and five others who were injured and hospitalized are now in stable condition.

The fire was contained three hours later, Xinhua said.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear.

Xinhua said the ship was undergoing maintenance at a shipyard owned by Beihai Shipbuilding Co. in Qingdao, a port city in the northwestern province of Shandong. 

Local authorities didn’t identify the vessel, but photos published by state media showed the cargo ship was Ocean Melody. MarineTraffic ship tracking data showed that the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier arrived at Qingdao shipyard on Aug. 31.

The Chinese regime tightly controls the flow of information, especially that related to natural disasters and tragic events such as explosions, aiming to manage public discussion and avoid criticism of the ruling Communist Party. 

As a result, the only available source to the public is state media, which focuses heavily on the Party’s response.

Before releasing the death toll, Xinhua reported an order from Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who said the incident caused “major casualties.” He then instructed a swift investigation into the cause of the fire and for those responsible to be held accountable, according to the outlet.

The shipyard’s owner, Beihai Shipbuilding, is a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, a state-owned conglomerate and one of the world’s largest shipbuilders. 

Beihai Shipbuilding described its main business as shipbuilding, ship repairs, maintenance, and design for specialized industrial or government purposes, according to its website.

The incident came less than a month after an explosion at a shipyard in Fujian, a major export hub on China’s southeastern coast, which resulted in the death of one firefighter, according to state media.